Music-sheet.



. L. B. DOMAN.

MUSIC SHEET. APPLICATION mm lULY 21. m3.

1,232,663. Patented July 10, 1917.

WITNES ES; H AVZCEN TOR 1 /4 i M v A TTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS B. DOMAN, OF EAST SYRACUSE, NE'W YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMPI-IION PIANO PLAYER COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A COEPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Music-sneer.

Application filed July 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs B. DOMAN, of East Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Music- Sheets of which the following, taken in conncction with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in music sheets for self-playing musical instruments and refers more particularly to perforated note sheets for pneumatic player-pianos and other keyboard 1nstruments whether pedal-operated or motordriven.

These sheets are adapted to receive perforations representing the full range of the piano, usually eighty-eight (88) notes within a space-width formerly employed for a range of sixty-five notes or eleven and one-fourth inches (11%) and 1t 1s, therefore, necessary to bring these perforations into close relation side by side, thereby reducing the space available for tone-mod1- fying indicia to a minimum and rendering the use of the ordinary tone-expression hne traversing the sheet impracticable for the reason that it produces more or less vlsual confusion.

The main object is to provide the sheet with a compact system of tone-modify ng indicia (preferably perforations) running in parallel lines near one edge of the sheet wholly apart from the note perforations but correlated with those which represent a selected part of the composition to be affected so that the presence or absence of such indicia or any variations in the number of rows or number in each row will indicate the relative force with which any note is to be played and enable the operator to voluntarily modify such note or notes at the proper time or, when the indlcia are perforations, they may cooperate with extra tracker ducts to render the modulation automatic.

Another object is to enable the music sheet to be easily and economically manufactured with the perforated indicia therein after the master roll is made without liability of unduly weakening the web or sheet.

Other objects and uses relating to other features of the music-sheet will be brought cut in the following; descriptiom Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Serial No. 780,349.

Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a tracker bar.

Fig. 2 is a face view of a portion of a perforated music sheet showing the tonemodifying indicia to cooperate with certain ducts in the tracker bar for controlling selected parts of a musical composition.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have shown a portion of a tracker bar a as provided with the usual note-ducts b and separate series of tonemodifying ducts -c, (Z and e-.

The ducts c may be connected to separate resistance pneumatics similar to those set forth in my Patent No. 1,075,313, issued October 7 ,1913, and, therefore, the purpose of those ducts is to grade the tone or rather to vary the volume or force of the toneproducing device.

One of the ducts (Z, as the middle one, may be connected to suitable pneumatic means for operating the sustaining or loud pedal while the other two may be connected to suitable pneumatics for operating hammer-rail sections.

The mouths of these ducts c and (Z are preferably elongated transversely of the tracker to cooperate with chains of perforations in the sheet, thereby making it possible to sustain any one of the tonemodifving pneumatics for indefinite periods of time during the travel of the sheet and also increasing the visual distinction of the expression indicia when registered therewith.

The tracker ducts c are more for the purpose of accenting individual notes or chords while playing with any degree of force or expression below fortissimo The main feature of my invention, however, consists in providing the music sheet as -1 with a plurality of parallel rows or lines of tone-grading or expression indicia 2- running lengthwise of the sheet preferably in proximity to one edge thereof and wholly apart from the note perforations as 3, the indicia of each line representing a predetermined tone volume or force different from that of the other rows or lines. The tone-grading indicia or perforations of each lengthwise line are grouped in compact, but equally spaced relation, less than the length of any one perforation so that adjacent perforations will register with the corresponding duct 0 simultaneously for maintaining the particular force of action represented by that line throughout its length.

If the same notes are to be played with increased force, the note sheet is provided with additional tone-grading indicia or perforations running simultaneously with the first left-hand line of perforations 2, all in close compact relation with their several perforations in transverse alinement so that the lengthwise lines of indicia, as one set and the transverse set of indicia as another set, constitute a compact group, the width of which along any transverse line indicates the de ree of force with which the corresponding notes are to be played, while the length of the lengthwise lines indicates the period of maintenance of the particular force which it represents.

For example, the absence of any tonemodifying indicia or perforations indicates that the notes represented by the note perforations corresponding to the blank space or spaces are to be played softly or with pianissimo (pp) effect while the first row or line of perforations, reading from left to right, indicates that the notes represented by the corresponding note perforations are to be played with slightly increased force or volume or as piano 9) effect and the remaining lines of perforations indicate in sequence that the notes represented by the corresponding note perforations are to be played with gradually increasing loudness running from mezzo forte (mf), forte and fortissimo effects respec tively.

As illustrated the advance ends of the tone-modifying lines of indicia are adapted to register with their respective ducts at about the same time that the ends of a certain note perforation or perforations register with its or their respective ducts so that any other note-perforations beginning within the length of the tone-modifying lines of indicia will cause such note to be produced with a degree of loudness corresponding to that indicated by the line or lines of expression perforations which may be registered with a predetermined point or points on the tracker, as for example with the corresponding ducts -c.

It is evident, however, that these tonemodifying lines of perforations constitute informative means for visually indicating what note or notes representing a melody Or other part of a musical composition are to be emphasized or modified and that this expression may be effected voluntarily by the operator in pedal-operated instruments through the medium of suitable mechanical devices well known to those skilled in this art, or as in the present showing, may oper ate in conjunction with the ducts cto render the expression automatic but in either case it is only necessary for the operator to direct the line of vision to one point, as for example, the point of intersection of the lines, of indicia with the line of note perforations in the tracker as distinguished from the usual tone-modifying indicia which are scattered more or less over the entire surface of the sheet and necessitates a continual shifting of the line of vision to such an extent as to make it practically impossible to produce accurate expression of the tones at the proper time.

It is also evident that instead of using lines of perforations, as the informative means for producing the desired expression of tones, the same information might be given by lines of dots or continuous straight lines beginning and terminating at the ends of the lines of perforations without departing from the spirit of this invention, but by providing the lines of perforations, the music sheet may be used with ordinary pedal-operated or with motor-driven instruments and, in either case, enables the operator to see at a glance just what notes are to be modified and the degree of expression of such notes.

In other words, this informative means enables the operator to modify the desired notes voluntarily when the sheet is used in connection with an ordinary tracker of pedal-operated or motor-driven instruments or the same expression may be produced antomatically by coaction with the tracker ducts c* of either of such instruments.

In addition to the tone-modifying indicia just described, the sheet may be provided with additional means for indicating the expression ofythe same or other notes affected by the perforations 2 and I have, therefore, shown separate lines or chains of perforations k and 5- correlated with certain note perforations and representing such expression as might be produced by the shifting of the hammer-rail sections, one line of perforations being adapted to control the base section while 5 is adapted to control the treble section for subduing the tones of notes corresponding to such sections and in addition to this, I have shown the sheet as provided with another row or line of perforations 6 correlated with certain note perforations to indicate such tone-volume as might be produced by the operation of the loud pedal.

The sheet is also provided with accent perforations -7 which, in this instance, are square to distinguish them from the other perforations and are correlated with certain note perforations representing the notes which are to be accented irrespective of the tone-modifying indicia previously described.

It is now clear that if the sheet is placed in an instrument, as for example one in which the tone-eXpressions are produced voluntarily through the medium of any one or more of the well known forms of manually controlled modulating devices, and such instrument is operated in the usual manner, it is simply necessary for the operator to keep the line of vision directed to the indicia as they approach a predetermined point (in this instance the tracker bar) and to operate the corresponding manu'al or manuals as soon as the different in dicia are registered With such point.

This system of note-modifying indicia is not only simple, exact and comprehensive but is clearly readable in advance and enables the operator to give a more accurate interpretation and execution of the composition than has heretofore been practised.

It is also clear that when the chains of holes are continuous, it indicates that the corresponding tone-modifying device is to be held in action while the chain is passing the given point referred to, the length of the chain determining the sustaining period of that particular tone expression.

This is true of any one of the rows of holes in the system but it will be noted that the force or volume with which certain notes are to be played is determined by the number of indicia side by side while the sustaining period for any degree of force or volume is indicated by the length of the corresponding line of indicia.

Another important feature of this informative system is that any increase of force or volume is represented by adding one or more lines of perforations progressively from left to right of such system so that the first row must always be used in connection with the second, the first and second with the third and the first, second and third with the fourth row although any one of. the succeeding rows may be of different length than the one preceding it but not longer.

What I claim is:

1. A note sheet of the character described having note perforations and visual informative means thereon for indicating crescendo and decrescendo with which certain parts of the musical selection are to be played, said informative means consisting of a group of perforations arranged in compact relation near one edge of the sheet in lengthwise and transverse lines the width of the group along each transverse line indicating the degree of force with which the corresponding notes are to be played, while the length of the group along each lengthwise line indicates the period during which the force represented by that line is to be continued and also functioning, when desired, to automatically cause the operation of mechanical expression devices.

2. A note sheet of the character described having note perforations, and a group of tone-grading indicia arranged in lengthwise lines and in transverse lines in compact relation, the width of the group along each transverse line representing the degree of force with which the corresponding notes are to be played, while the length of the group along each lengthwise line indicates the duration with which the force represented by that line is to be continued and also functioning, when desired, to automatically cause the operation of mechanical expression devices.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of June, 1913.

- LEWIS B. DOMAN. lVitnesses H. E. CHAsn, EVA E. GREENLEAF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

